If you have ever heard of Graphic Disorder and its to-die-for renderings and graphic art, then there is no doubt that you have heard of Brandt Fuqua. Having already built one show-stopper, Brandt, of Schwenksville, Pennsylvania, knew it was time to really add some fuel to the fire. Brandt's previous project, a Toyota Tacoma, already graced the pages of our illustrious magazine. He knew if he was to build another magazine-worthy truck, he was going to go for the gold. No inside feature was going to cut it for Brandt this time - it was all the way or the highway. A cover was in Brandt's mind. The only question was what vehicle would be the lucky recipient of so much custom work.
Luck would have it that the truck that would be receiving so much blood, sweat, and tears was a '98 Nissan Frontier. With Brandt's mindset, only a couple things came to mind: low, sick, and one-off. Brandt being a seasoned mini-trucker and well-known in the industry helped him get a hold of the right people to make this vision come to reality. On the one-off note, Billet Accessories Direct (BAD) was commissioned to make a one-of-a-kind set of billet wheels with removable, interchangeable, flamed inserts. The wheels are polished to a high luster and are color-coded to the flame pattern on the side of the truck in a baby-blue hue. If that isn't enough to make you jealous, then the frame and suspension that the wheels are attached to will.
Even though Nissan makes one hell of a frame, Brandt chose to change it out in favor of aesthetics. A Scott's Hot Rod Shop Mustang II IFS is the heart and soul of Brandt's too-mean-for-the-streets Frontier. The rest of the frame has all been fashioned out of 2x3-inch box tubing by 3DKustoms of Castlewood, Virginia. The frame is the outline for such features as an insanely built 383ci Chevy small-block, as well as boatloads of chroming and powdercoating.
Nothing makes Brandt happier than when more seasoned automotive enthusiasts see what he managed to stuff in between the rails of such a hammered mini. Brandt's vision in finished form took approximately 13 months to build, which when considering the amount of detail and reliance it took on some special aspects of the truck, is record time. The one thing that Brandt wished he would have reconsidered was to have started the truck as just sheetmetal. It would have been a little scary, but taking into account what the truck was stripped down to, this would have saved two or three bucks, as well as a chunk of time.
If the third time is the charm and Brandt was able to pull this off in this second shot, then we can't wait to see what he pulls out next. Hands down, this is one of the sickest Frontiers to date - not to mention the loudest, thanks to open headers. This is just one more Graphic Disorder rendering that takes a step into reality. It's just too bad it wasn't as easy as just jumping off the pages to a completed state.
The Lowdown
Rolling Attire
Wheels: (Front) one-off BAD 20-inch billet wheels, featuring removable flame design; (rear) one-off BAD 22-inch billet wheels, featuring removable flame design
Tires: (Front) 245/35R20s; (rear) 255/30R22s
Chassis Modifications
Suspension type: Airbags
Front suspension: Scotts Hot Rods Mustang II
Rear suspension: Corvette IRS, shortened 5 inches per side
Airbag type: Air Lift
Control Arms: Mustang II
Spindles/springs: Mustang II
Shocks: Toxic
Valves: GC 450s
Compressors: Two Viair 380s
Air line: Plastic
Air/hydro accessories: Nine-switch box
Frame mods: Full custom chassis, nothing left factory, smoothed and painted
Frame material: 2x3-inch box and round tubing
Gas tank: 15-gallon fuel cell
Brakes: (Front) Mustang II 11-inch two-piston; (rear) SSBC Z06 13-inch four-piston
Detail work: Everything on this truck is smoothed, painted, polished, or billet
Performed by: 3DKustoms, of Castlewood, Virginia
Body Modifications
Shaved: Handles, shaved taillights, antenna, wipers, gas door
Body drop: 2-1/4-inch stock-floor body drop
Front end: Phantom grille, clear markers, billet grilles
Back end: Molded shut
Taillights: Three-color LEDs
Misc: False bed floor that lifts like a bedcover to show off rear suspension/frame, molded tailgate skin
Performed by: 3DKustoms
Paint
Brand and colors: PPG, white bottom, silver top, with a pastel-blue flame breaking up the colors
Style: Two-tone paint with tribal flame separating top from bottom
Pinstriping: Charcoal stripe around the flames
Performed by: 3DKustoms
Interior
Seats: Stock seats shortened and reformed
Material: Leather
Dash: Sheetmetal dash painted to match truck, houses Dakota Digital gauges
Door panels: Fiberglass speaker pods, covered in leather, shaved armrests
Flooring: Tan carpet
Headliner: Leather
Gauges: Dakota Digital flame gauges
Performed by: Rick Case and Dave
Stereo
Head unit: Alpine
Mids and highs: MA Audio
Amplifier for mids and highs: 1,800-watt MA Audio
Subwoofers: Four 10-inch MA Audio subwoofers
Amplifier for subwoofers: Two 2,000-watt MA Audio amps
Wiring/accessories: MA Audio
Custom fabrication: Fiberglass speaker box
Performed by: Traffic Jams, of Bristol, Tennessee; 3DKustoms
Engine/Performance
Displacement: 383
Stroker: 450 hp, 565 lb-ft of torque
Head type: Edelbrock 400
Performer internals: 0.060 over, Keith Black pistons, 11:1 compression
Ported/polished: Yes
Camshaft: Crane, duration: 290, lift: 478
Transmission: Modified TH350
Rearend type: Corvette IRS, 3.73 gears
Intake: Holly
Header/exhaust: Open Hedman Headers
Battery: Two YellowTop Optimas at rear of chassis
Detail work: Paint and billet
Performed by: Bo Beaverly
Special Thanks
Everyone who put their blood, sweat, and tears into this truck: Jeremiah Meade, Brandon Smith, Brandon Ingle, Corey Mullins, Erik Jones, Chris Clark, Bo Beverly, Wayne Meade, Lee Caudill, Jackie, Flydog, Scott Auterson, and Rick Case; Brandt's sponsors, MA Audio, Optima Batteries and Gravity-Werx; and lastly, Brandt's family and girlfriend Shelly for always supporting him and the buildup of this truck.
WebsiteCheck out www.minitruckinweb.com for exclusive video footage of Brandt's Frontier.